Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to Sarah Tate. She has written a nonfiction book describing life with a person who has a serious personality disorder, narcissism.
T. Hello, please give us a bit of biography.
B. My name is Sarah Tate. I’m a single mum of three kids, living in Central Switzerland. By day I work in the Aerospace industry as a buyer, and in evenings I’m an aspiring writer. I’ve just published my first book, Web of Lies – My Life with a Narcissist, which is an autobiographical novel, describing what its like to be entangled in a toxic relationship.
T. When did you start writing?
S. I began writing at an early age, as English was always my best subject at school. I enjoyed creative writing and I’ve written poetry ever since being a small child. The decision to write my first book was actually born of my circumstances at the time, and my desire to reach out to a wider audience in order get an important message out there. In the process of doing this, I have, however, discovered a talent I didn’t realize I had, and a way of expressing myself which I find immensely enjoyable. I intend to keep writing for as long as I can!
T. Please tell us about the book.
S. Web of Lies – My Life with a Narcissist, is an honest and emotional story, based on my own experiences. I take the reader with me on an emotional roller coaster, and describe in graphic details how I met, was swept off my feet by, and almost had my life destroyed by, a pathological liar. I think many women (and men) have, at some point in their lives, come into contact with a person who has a personality disorder. Many people get tangled up in these relationships and spend years thinking that they are going crazy due to the actions of their partner. In Web of Lies, I describe how a seemingly-perfect love story slowly started to unravel, until I found myself in an absolutely impossible situation, with no idea how I was going to escape.
It’s an important story about emotional abuse, and how to recognize what is happening to you before it’s too late.
I’m very lucky that I got Dr. David Holmes, who is the Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, to read my book and give his expert opinion on the personality disorders suffered by my ex. As Dr Holmes said to me many times, real life case stories, such as the one told in Web of Lies, are essential to educate the wider population about the dangers of becoming involved with somebody with these character traits.
Since publishing the book as an Ebook in August 2010 I have had an enormous amount of feedback from people who have also been in (or are still in) such intolerable situations. They have all been incredibly positive about my book and how it has helped to open their eyes and gather the strength to make the break. It’s very fulfilling to know that my book has the power to help people. If it stops one other person going through what I did, then I’m happy.
T. Do you have a sequel or prequel in mind or in progress?
S. The sequel is written and is in the final proofing stages. Initially, I hadn’t intended to write another book on this subject. But so many readers have asked me to bring them ‘up-to-date’ I decided to write a ‘recovery’ book. Renaissance – A Journal of Discovery picks up where Web of Lies left off, and focuses much more intensely on the fallout of the toxic relationship. It describes how I sought help through therapy and friends, and takes the reader through the entire ‘learning’ process that I experienced once I was away from the toxic personality. It also explores the impact of such events on the children, and describes how I was guided by a child psychologist to become a therapist to my kids throughout their own recovery process.
I believe the second book will be useful to anybody who has found himself or herself in the position of having to totally re-build their lives after suddenly finding themselves alone with children, and no financial support.
It’s a positive book, which I hope will inspire people and demonstrate that it really is possible to recover and come out of a terrible situation much better off than you were before.
It’s a book about emotional growth, self-discovery, and the deep & unbreakable bonds between a mother and her children.
T. What are your ideas about the future of digital publishing?
The future is bright for digital publishing, no doubt about that. I’m not sure that it will eclipse traditional publishing as many are predicting. Certainly, digital publishing provides a fascinating medium for independent Authors whose talents would otherwise not be known. I applaud digital publishing, but maintain that the good old print book is going be around for a long time yet!
T. Anything else to share?
S. I’d like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed on your blog, and also thank the countless people who have helped me take my first tentative steps towards being a successful published Author. I’m really looking forward to completing my first novel, ‘In the Shadow of an Angel’, which I hope will be available in late 2011.
T. Thank you.
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